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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · wave · mug · land · saw · chip · row · wound

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mug — to rob
  3. land — a country
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. shower — to wash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. land — to come down
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com